Noted IT Management Speaker Ron Palmer Stuns Keynote Audience Saying IT Has No Mandate to Perform IT Governance

Dallas, TX, December 18, 2006 --(PR.com)-- While delivering the keynote address on IT Governance at the sixteenth annual Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems Ron Palmer told the audience that IT Governance is simply a marketing term. It was created to sell products and services. Nowhere in the Sarbanes Oxley legislation is the term "IT Governance" used. The term appears to be very beneficial in selling products and services but it is damaging IT organizations.

Ron's controversial contention is that IT Management has no business creating Governance Frameworks. Governance is a concept that should only be applied to legal entities such as corporations. IT Managers should be focused on managing the delivery of IT services in support of business operations. Doing this well will meet at least 80% of the requirements for good Corporate Governance.

Ron Palmer stated that there are five core concepts that have to be achieved to support good Corporate Governance. IT Managers should focus their efforts on managing to these concepts.
1) Focus on Strategic Value Creation
2) Manage Risk in line with the corporate risk profile
3) Deliver "Operational Excellence"
4) Document & Publish clear Decision Points and Ownership
5) Provide Transparency throughout the organization

Ron Palmer contends that using the term "IT Governance" frames the question of how IT Managers should respond to Sarbanes Oxely in a misleading way. Sarbanes Oxley does not mention IT or the CIO at all. It does not even suggest that IT should have any responsibility whatsoever in setting up governance structures. Ron has promised to clarify these statements in his blog www.ITSMCompass.com and possibly through a book on IT Governance from an IT Service Management Perspective.

Ron Palmer is an IT Management Speaker, Author, and Thought Leader. Ron owns and operates Gulf Stream Press, a publishing company for his books and a training company. Gulf Stream Press offers courses in IT Service Management, ITIL, and ISO/IEC 20000. Ron's latest book is "IT Service Management Foundations: ITIL Self Study guide" ISBN: 0-9771469-0-1

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Ron Palmer the "Bad Boy of IT Management"TM

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